The present invention relates to a lockable quickrelease mechanism for securing removable parts, in particular a wheel or seat to a bicycle frame, so as to prevent theft.
Bicycles manufactured and sold today commonly employ traditional quick-release mechanisms for easily attaching, detaching and adjusting desired components for connection to the bicycle frame. These components may include the wheels and seat. Typically, a lever having a cam is rotated within a piston head disposed on the end of an axle for selectively tightening and loosening the component. Such quick-release mechanisms prove extremely useful when repairing flat tires, adjusting seat height, and for transporting the cycles, for example, in cars. However, accidents may occur from inadvertent loosening of the traditional quick-release mechanism resulting in injury to the cyclist or damage to the bicycle. Additionally, traditional quick-release mechanisms, by the very nature of their ease of removal, actually facilitate theft of the expensive components held to the frame.
Therefore, several cumbersome methods are currently employed for securing the bicycle and its removable components. A first securing method employs two U-locks and one cable. One U-lock is secured around one wheel, the frame, and an immovable object. The other U-lock secures the other wheel to the bicycle frame. A cable attached to either of the U-locks and the seat secures the seat. The entire bicycle is thus anchored to a fixed structure to prevent theft of the bicycle or its component parts. The difficulty of carrying and the cost in procuring these two U-locks and cable make this method undesirable. A second securing method employing multiple independent locks requires removal of the front wheel from the frame. The front wheel is then placed side by side with the rear wheel. A single U-lock is placed around both wheels, the frame and a fixed structure. Furthermore, a cable attached to the seat prevents theft of the seat. Removal of the front wheel results in the front fork resting on the ground. This practice is likely to cause deformation or damage to the fork, resulting in unsafe riding practices and expensive bicycle repairs. The above first and second methods of securing bicycles are also undesirable because of additional weight due to carrying each of the locks and because of and the considerable locking time involved. A third alternative is to employ only one lock securing the frame to a stationary structure. Although locking time and carrying weight is minimal, there is a likelihood that the seat and/or wheels will be stolen. Therefore, because none of these securing methods is effective or practical, it has become necessary to develop a lockable quick-release mechanism to overcome the problems discussed above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,915 to Stahl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,409 to Scire and U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,873 to Weinstein et al. each disclose a lock for a quick release mechanism. However, none of these mechanisms is commercially practical, as is the present invention.